As the cold approaches, shrink-wrapping is a hot topic, and I’ve heard more than a few debates at yacht clubs about the merits and disadvantages of winter covers, tarps and wraps. First, why cover your boat at all?

Three main reasons:

1) To prevent snow, rain, water and moisture from penetrating the corners, crevices, edges and cracks and freezing and expanding – causing more problems and compounding damage.

Essentially, covering a boat in the off-season is a protection of your investment.

What are the options for covers? There are a few – lets talk about the pros and cons of each:

Pro

Con

A Tarp:

InexpensiveEasy to findEasy DIY

Tend to fray and leakNot reliableTough to secure Not fitted to the boatNot long-lasting

A Custom Cover

Very secureFitted to the boatVery durableGood for many seasons

ExpensiveCustom

Shrink-wrap

SecureFitted to the boatDurableCan be DIY

Can be costlyOnly 1 season useDIY with equipment

There are options for every budget – but consideration should be given about the best way to protect your boat based on budget and ease of use.

Shrink-wrap is extremely popular – it’s cost-effective, durable and serves to protect the boat well. There is no shortage of contractors who can perform the work. Alternately, shrink-wrapping can be a DIY project – but requires a bit of prep and investment in both materials and tools/equipment

A custom cover can’t be beat in terms of durability and longevity. The only drawbacks are availability and cost – proper lead time is needed to arrange the creation and fitting of the cover, and return on investment may not be seen for a few years.

Tarps serve their purpose on a budget – but should be carefully fitted, tied and secured.

In Part two we’ll explore a closer look at shrink-wrapping as a DIY project.

Happy last few weeks of boating!

Andrew McDonald is the owner of Lakeside Marine Services – a boat repair/maintenance firm based in Toronto. Andrew has worked in the marine industry for 12 years and is a graduate of the Georgian College ‘Mechanical Techniques - Marine Engine Mechanic’ program.

Questions or comments for Andrew? Email him directly via: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

To borrow a line from Monty Python, “and now, for something completely different”.

Normally, our boating adventures are spent weaving our way amongst the picturesque backdrop of the 30,000 Islands of eastern Georgian Bay aboard our Sea Ray Sundancer 268. This time we’ve traded power for sail as friends welcome us aboard their 38-foot Irwin for the Canada Day long weekend.

We’ve set our sights on a decidedly different destination for this journey, charting a course for Thornbury. This small town, located in the southern reaches of Nottawasaga Bay, is an oft-overlooked area of Georgian Bay - but it shouldn’t be. Although we’ve explored this shoreline on countless road trips, this will be our first visit from the waterside.

An estimated 10,000 yachts measuring 100 feet or more are afloat on the world’s oceans. They congregate in places like Monaco, St. Tropez, Fort Lauderdale, Antibes, and Antigua. Some yachts are used for private luxury cruising - Oman Sultan Qaboos, for example, shares Al Said, his 508-foot yacht, only with his 65 guests (and 140-member crew). Other big yachts offer opulent charters serving paying guests. Many yachts move between the Mediterranean and the Caribbean following the seasons.

The Cantius 46 is the latest evolution of Cruisers Yachts’ Cantius line – now there are five models from 42 to 60 feet. The new Cantius 46 is a great example of “easy boating” the way Volvo Penta imagined it and how Cruisers Yachts has executed it. The idea is that you just come on board, unlock the glass doors, fire it up, cast off, and enjoy - alone, with a spouse, or with a huge group.

Since the first Cantius model was introduced, Cruisers Yachts has continued to refine the concept for ever-greater convenience, more clever and innovative features, and also greater performance.

The Jeanneau 410 is the eighth generation of the Sun Odyssey line, but even with that long history and umpteen years of tweaks and iterations, what the French builder has done in the latest revamp will make you say, “Wait, what?”

Last year, Jeanneau turned the sailboat deck layout on its ear with the introduction of their Sun Odyssey 490 and 440, and the concept of the ‘walk-around deck’.

Watch for a tsunami of innovative new boating products in the chandlery this year, as accessory manufacturers battle for your attention and dollars.

This past decade has been a real up-and-down ride for the companies who make boating equipment. When the recession hit in 2008/2009, new product development for most manufacturers ground to a sharp halt as they focused on more pressing issues, like simply keeping the lights on. It took a few years for the economy to stabilize and for the first handful of new items to begin slowly trickling out to market. For guys like me who make a living writing about new boating gear, those were pretty lean years, let me tell you.

You most likely operate your vessel with batteries that are rechargeable. Rechargeable batteries account for nearly half of worldwide battery sales. Within the rechargeable battery category, there are many different types of chemistries that are used. The most proven type of chemistry is the lead acid chemistry.

Wet cell or “flooded” batteries and Absorbed Glass Mat (AGM) batteries are both considered lead batteries and contain an electrolyte solution which causes a chemical reaction and produces electrons. These batteries are recharged when put in contact with a reverse current. But, given the way they are designed, they each have their own pros and cons and these variations should be considered before use.

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